Shade.



INVENTOR PATENTED SEPT. 26, 1905.

r. HEMERY. SHADE.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 25, 1903- Hi. I

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UNITED STATES- PATENT oFFIoE.

PLATO G. EMERY, OF CHICAGO; ILLINOIS.

' I SHA DEf I Original application filed October 3, 190,0, $eriel No. 31,895, Divided and this application filed January 26, 1903. Serial No. 140,572.

To a whom it may concern: Be it known that I, PLATO G. EMERY, a citizen of the United-States, residing at'Chicago, in the county of Cook and Stateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shades, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in shades for windows, doors, or other openings ofthat type in which a curtain of fabric is held under an upward tendency-and guided on "squaring-cords, and the application is a division of my application filed October 3, 1900, Serial No. 31,895. I

The objectof the-invention is to provide simple and improved means for frictionally en aging the curtain with the cords, so as to hoTd the curtain against its upward tendency.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clamping device which is automatically released at the initial movement of raising or lowering the shade and automatically applied to hold the shade after it has been moved to its desired position and which clamping. device requires no independent op; eration apart from the usual movement of raising orlowering a shade.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates my invention embodied in a window-shade, the window-frame beingipartly shown in section. Fig. 2 is a detail ,view of the shade-stick, partly in section and showing the clamping means. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows a modified construction of the clampingblooks. i 1

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the curtain of my improved shade mounted ona spring-roller 11 in a window-frame 12 and provided with-a hollow stick 13, through which pass the squaring-cords 14. I have chosen to illustrate my invention in this manner for the purpose of convenience and as showing perhaps the princi al form in which the invention will be use but obviously other means may be employed besides a spring-roller for giving the shade an upward tendency, and the shade may be mounted in a frame or casing of any suitable character.

for windows, doors, or other openings; nor is the invention restricted to the use of separate squaring-cords having their ends attached to the frame at diagonally opposite points, as shown. 1

The shade-stick is preferably made in rectangular form in cross-section, as shown in Specification of Letters Patent.

v dle willproj ect Patented.- Sept. 26, 1905.

Fig. 3; but this is not absolutely essential,

and other forms can be used and the clamp ing devices correspondingly shaped without departing from my invention.

The clamping devices comprise an upper member 15 and a lowermember 16, located within the shade-stick and preferably at or' about the middle thereof and adapted to clamp one or both of the cords. The upper member may be preferably secured removably in the stick in asuitable manner, as by one or more screws 17, and the lower mem ber is yieldingly supported by springs 18 on the pilot-stems19, connected with said member and extending downward through open' ings 20 in the stick. A handle 21 is pivotally connected at 22 with the lower ends of the stems. ing-points 23 and 24 on opposite sides of its pivotal connection with the stems, and the The handle is provided with bear construction is preferably such that the han- I aterally in the manner shown in Fig. 3.

The clamping member 16 yieldingl-y clamps the cords against the member 15; but it will be sufiicient to clamp one of the cords, and this can be accomplished by constructing the clamping members accordinglyas, for example, in the manner shown in Fig. 4, in which the two members 15 16 are made in angular form in cross-section to clamp only the cord 14.

It will be readily understood that the squaring-cords are normally clam ed by the clamping members to restrain tiie shade against its upward tendency, and when it is desired to ralse the shade the handle will be grasped and lifted in the usual manner of raising shades, whereupon the handle will be fulcrumed against the stick on the shoulder 24 and the clamping member 16 withdrawn sufliciently to permit the squaring-cords to slide easily through the stick. When the shade'has been raised to the desired height, the handle is released, and the springs immediately force the member 16 into clamping engagement with the cords. When it is desired to lowerthe shade, the operation is eX- actly the same, except that the handle will be fulcrumed on the shoulders 23..

The invention is especially useful in conneotion with shades or curtains in cars or other means of transportation, which are often disarranged and sometimes broken through carelessness of the passengers and their unfamiliarity with the proper way to operate the devices which restrain the shade; but it will be observed that no independent operation apart from the usual and natural movement of raising and lowering a shade is required to operate the clamping device and that the construction, arrangement, and operation of the invention are extremely simple and that it is inexpensive to manufacture.

Without limiting myself to the exact construction and arrangement of parts herein shown and described, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a shade having an upward tendency, a hollow shade stick, squaring-cords passing through the stick for guiding the shade, a device within the stick for clamping a cord, and a fulcrum-handle to release the clamping device from engagement with the cord.

2. The combination of a shade having an upward tendency, a hollow shade stick, squaring-cords passing through the stick for guiding the shade, a device within the stick for clamping the cords, and a fulcrum-handle to release the clamping device from engagement with the cords.

3. The combination of a shade having an upward tendency, a hollow shade stick, squaringcords passing through the stick for guiding the shade, a device within the stick for clamping a cord, and a handle pivotally connected with the clamping device and provided with a fulcrum-shoulder.

4. The combination of a shade having an upward tendency, a hollow shade stick, squaring-cords passing through the stick for guiding the shade, a device Within the stick for clamping a cord, and a handle pivotally connected with the clamping device and having a fulcrum-shoulder on each side of its pivotal connection.

5. The combination of a shade having an upward tendency, a hollow shade stiek, squaring-cords passing through the stick for guiding the shade, a device within the stick for clamping a cord and comprising a yielding member, and fulcruming means outside of the stick connected with said member to release it from clamping engagement with the cord.

6. The combination of a shade having an upward tendency, a hollow shade stiek, squaring-cords passing through the stick for guiding the shade, a fixed clamping member and a yieldingly-supported clamping member within the stick, a stem connected with the yielding member, and a 'fulcrum-handle connected with said stem.

7. The combination of a shade having an upward tendency, a hollow shade stick, squaring-cords passing through the stick for guiding the shade, a fixed clamping member and a movable clamping member arranged within the stick, a stem on the movable clamping member projecting through an opening in the stick, a handle pivotally connected with the stem, and shoulders on the handle on opposite sides of its pivotal con nection.

8. The combination of a shade having an upward tendency, a hollow shade stick, squaring-cords passing through the stick for guiding the shade, a spring-pressed clamping device within the stick for clamping a cord, and a fulcrum-handle connected with the clamping device to release it from engagement with the cord and projecting laterally from the stick.

PLATO G. EMERY.

Witnesses WM. 0. BELT, HELEN L. PEoK. 

